2 Yonkers Middle High School students charged with attempted murder for stabbing 16-year-old

Police say a 16-year-old was stabbed three times during the incident that began in a restroom at around 8:30 a.m. That student is still in the hospital.

News 12 Staff

Jan 6, 2023, 2:37 PM

Updated 643 days ago

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Two Yonkers Middle High School students have been charged with attempted murder following a fight Friday.
Police say a 16-year-old was stabbed three times during the incident that began in a restroom at around 8:30 a.m. That student is still in the hospital.
News 12 saw a cellphone video that shows how fast the incident played out. If it wasn’t for a fast-acting school resource officer, there may have been a bigger tragedy. Police said they are reviewing the surveillance video. 
A steady stream of parents and family members rushed to Yonkers Middle High School Friday morning as students frantically texted and called to be picked up after a fellow student was stabbed. Many feared the incident could lead to violent retaliation. 
Yonkers police confirmed a 16-year-old high school student was punched, kicked and stabbed three times in the torso and extremities. 
It happened after a verbal dispute started in a second-floor bathroom and then spilled into the hallway where a school resource officer intervened. 
The victim was in stable condition and was rushed by ambulance to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening. 
The two 17-year-old suspects have been categorized as adolescent offenders under New York's Raise the Age legislation. 
Classes on campus resumed within 30 minutes after the incident, and the school's pupil support staff was made available for staff and students. 
Police said there were no threats to public safety, and they are investigating whether the incident is gang-related. 
Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, said in order to prevent violence in schools, it needs to be addressed on two fronts: Standard security and relationships.
Canady explained, for starters, a full assessment of the school's security protocols might be in order.
"Yes, we want to make sure that we're trying to have a handle on what's being brought into the school. There's so many ways that challenges are created there, and one of those is through perimeter security issues," Canady said.
He said what is even more important is that school resource officer and school staff build relationships with students -- Not just a simple "hello," but real, meaningful relationships.
Canady said strengthening those connections makes it more likely a student will warn staff about a possible upcoming fight.
“It's easy to put the hall monitor out there and 'see something, say something,' and it's important, but it works much better when someone in the environment has a relationship that's good enough so that they're comfortable coming to the SRO," he added.
Canady said genuine outreach to teens can also lift their sense of self-worth. He added that students with self-worth have healthy friendships and are less violent.